Pohick Creek Watershed

Location
Pohick Creek is a 36.5-square-mile watershed in the central southern
portion of Fairfax County and drains southeastward directly to the
Potomac River through Gunston Cove.

Major Streams and Tributaries
Major tributaries to Pohick Creek are Rabbit Branch, Opossum Branch,
Sideburn Branch, South Run and Middle Run.

Unique Features
Several lakes exist within the Pohick Creek watershed. The largest,
Burke Lake, is located on South Run and was created for recreational
uses. There are six lakes in the watershed that were constructed between
1970 and 1985 as part of a joint effort between the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Soil Conservation Service, Fairfax County and the Northern
Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District. These impoundments (Lake
Braddock, Lake Barton, Lake Mercer, Lake Royal, Huntsman Lake and
Woodglen Lake) were designed as flood prevention and watershed
protection structures. Over two square miles of the watershed are not
under the jurisdiction of Fairfax County, lying within the U.S. Army’s
Fort Belvoir Military Reservation. The Laurel Hill property (formerly the
District of Columbia’s Lorton Correctional Facility) also lies partly
within the watershed. The Noman M. Cole Pollution Control Plant, which
treats a large majority of the county’s wastewater, lies at the lower
stretches of Pohick Creek. The watershed also contains several sites of
historic importance.

Pohick Creek Watershed Management Plan

The Pohick Creek Watershed Management Plan was adopted by the Fairfax
County Board of Supervisors on Dec. 7, 2010.